It's fine art festival season!

!!It's that time of year here in Florida where you can find fine art, craft and seafood festivals almost every weekend.  If  you  are  looking to purchase artwork  at  one  of  these  events, it's a good idea to know what the difference is between an original  work and a giclee.
You may be thinking this is commonsense but, I myself, do get these questions  quite frequently. So, I thought I would create a quick guide, for those who might  benefit from it.

A quick guide on what is a giclee

You may be thinking to yourself, just what is a giclee?!!  Original works of art are one of a kind, which means no two are exactly a like. When you purchase a print of a painting it is important to know that you are buying a copy of the original art that many other people will also have. There is great value to the uniqueness of original art which is unable to be 100 % replicated.

When you can't afford the original art that you have your eye on, the next best option would be to think about purchasing a giclee.

A giclee is a fine art print, made from an ink jet printer, on fine archival paper. This is not a regular home or office printer. The quality of a giclee print is superior to all other forms of printing and is the closest an artist can get to matching their original fine artwork. They can be made to reproduce any form of 2-D artwork (watercolor, oil and acrylic).

In order to pass as a real giclee print-

• The original artwork should be professionally photographed or scanned at a  resolution of 300 dpi or higher.
  
• The print must consist of 8 or more pigmented inks, using the Ink Jet printer.
• The paper or canvas must be 100% archival.
• The printer used must be a professional wide format Ink Jet printer.
  

When purchasing a print, you must ask questions such as-

• What kind of ink was used to make the print? (should be pigmented)
• Where was the print made? (professionally on an Ink Jet printer)
• What kind of paper or canvas? (archival or 100% cotton)

Also always make sure that the giclee has been signed by the artist and numbered.

I hope this helps!!

a New original recently finished

My Lily Rollercoaster
Watercolor and Ink
original measures 30x40"

My husband, Adam, and I at the Tour Taste 2020 Show, Elliott Museum.

To me, art is very personal in many ways. I thought I would share a little bit about this piece.

When I see a lily, I am drawn to their beauty and immediately have the urge to illustrate one.  I love their showy colors, delicate pedals with tiny dots that remind me of confetti and their thin long green leaves. But, as soon as I smell the fragrance of a lily, I am taken back in time to moments that stood still and I feel like a breath has been stolen from me. It all seems to happen within 20 seconds.  First I am taken to my little brother’s funeral where the beautiful white flowers seemed to cover the front of the church and the fragrance seemed to overpower the whole building.  I instantly painfully miss my brother.  Then I am taken to a small hospital chapel room where I was hopeful that our baby was going to pull through yet another big surgery. I feel depression starting to rise up but then in an instant I remember my friends beautiful wedding where she held the big beautiful blooms and the pure joy and happiness on her face. I remember walking into a nice restaurant with my boyfriend, now husband, and smelling the flowers while the hostess seated us and how much fun we were having and how in love I was and am with him. It is amazing to me that one tiny flower can stir up all of these memories and emotions in such a short time.

Lilies symbolize many things for many different cultures and hold meanings for almost every occasion. Lilies represent purity, love, fertility, femininity, unity, amiability and transience. They have long held an importance in ancient mythology too.

When looking at this artwork what does a lily symbolize for you?

new giclee's

Events

Port Salerno Seafood Festival - Saturday, January 25, 2020

Stuart ArtsFest - February 8-9th, 2020

ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival 2020 - February 15-16th, 2020

Old Florida Celebration of the Arts - April 4-5th, 2020

Do you have any suggestions or new painting ideas? Let me know!! I would love to hear them. Or, do you have photographs to share? Whether they are photo's of you wearing some of my apparel or photographs of wildlife or ocean life, I would love to see them! 
AmberMMoran@yahoo.com

Thank you!

Thinking out of the box.